Improvement in electric circuit-breaicing clock-work



-mD. ROUSSEAU. Eiectr-ic Circuit-Breaking Clock-Work.

'N0.I68,I85.

Patnted Sept. 28. I875.

Im/enZbr circuit-breaking clock-work.

DAVID ROUSSEAU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TQWILLIAM F, SMITH AND SAMUEL SAMUELS, OF SAJVIE PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRiG CIRCUET'*BREAKNG CLO3K-WQRK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 168, 1 85, datedSeptember 28, 1875, application filed August 13, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID RoUssEAU, of the city of New York, in thecounty of New Yorlrand in the State of New vented a nenfztnd ImprovedElectric Circuit- Breaking Clock-Work, of which the following is aspecification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved Fig. 2 is a detailed sideview of parts of the same,

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

The object of this invention is to produce a clock mechanism forautomatically breaking electric circuits at short intervals. withoutproducing an excessive strain on the main clock-work and injuring it asa timekeeper.

Circuit-breaking clocks can be used for various purposes-such as theregulation of a series of time-keepers, and also "on electric signals.Indeed, the main purpose I had in view in making this invention was thepro ducti'onof a means for automatically unlocking railroad-signalswhich are locked unnecessarily in danger positions by the attractionsoftheir armatures to their electro-inagnets under the influence of a completely-closed circuit.--"

Electricrailway-signals are usually operated by currents of shortduration, created by. the contact of moving trains withcertaincircuit-closers. When .from one cause or other thesecircuit-closers should remain closed continuously, the signals can belooked in certain positions, which they should not occupy had thecurrents been properly interrupted. Now, I propose to place my improvedclock mechanism in the conductor of such a sig;

nal, and cause it to break metallic" contact between two ends of saidconductor at given intervals, sayevery few seconds. Then, it the currentis unnecessarily continued,- the clock will break it yet the clock willnot interl'ere'with the proper setting of the signals as long'as, aftereach setting, the current is properly interrupted on the circuit-closer.

My invention consists in combining the clock-work which carries thecircuit-breaking device with another clock-work, that regu- York, havein,-

- and thereupon the arm a fnected and separated.

lates the motion of the first, substantially as hereinafter more fullydescribed.

In the accompanying drawing, the letter A represents the frame of theclock. B and G are two mainsprings, weights, or equivalent 'llllllllregulates the motion of the train D.

This train may be used to move the hands I of a clock for measuringtime, or to move other suitable mechanism. The spring 9 tends to jmnartrotary motio'nto a train of wheels, G; but this motion is renderedintermittent by means of an arm, a,.which projects from one of the;spindles b of the train G into contact with a toothed Wheel, 61, that ismounted upon the spindle This spindle, the arrow shown in Fig. l, will,at certain intervals of time, carry the pin of the wheel 01, thatdetains the arm a,

will at once, under the influence of the spring- 0, describe a-cirole,to be arrested, by the next pin of the wheel d;

Fig. 2 shows the farm at describing said circle.

f and g are the two=ends of the electric conductor, which are to bealternately con- The end. f is made in form of. a metal spring, and is,by oneof the arms of a star-wheel, h, of the train G,@

g, as in Fig. 1, whenpressed against the end ever the arm a, is arrestedby the Wheel 12 .lmt while the arm a revolves, the wheel h describesalso a partial revolution, and re leases the springf for a while, sothat it can spring away flOID'i'l'lG conductor 9, as in Fig; 2, thusbreaking the circuit during part of the time which is occupied by therotation of the arm a.

. it will be seen that the train of wheels, is not perceptibly affectedby the circuit-breaking mechanism, can therefore be utilized as atime-keeper or other reliable clock-Work.

The spring B revolving in the direction of clear of the same,"

spring B, with its and that it as herein shown a muss I claim as myinventionv spring 0, arm and circuit-breaking wheel 1. The arm a,combined with the rotary h,substautially as herein shown and described.Wheel (1 and. intermittently-rotating Wheel h, co constitute acircuit-breaker, substantially DAVID ROUSSEAU.

nd described. Witnesses:

2. The combination of the mainspring B, E. O. WEBB, which rotates thewheel (I, with -the main- B. F. KELLEY.

